Elverhuset

Elverhuset in Høje Tåstrup is a new day care centre catering for more than 100 children up to 6 years old. Sustainable solutions and eco-friendly materials complying with the Danish health, function and maintenance requirements have all been incorporated. The interior is also allergy-friendly, with a high frequency of air change.

Foto: Helene Høyer Mikkelsen, architect

Elverhuset is designed as a large square on two floors but lower on the north side. A winding staircase connects the common rooms and corridors on both floors situated around its atrium, where daylight pours through a large skylight to light up the ground floor.

In a building like this with its large open atrium, good acoustics are crucial.  Consequently, Troldtekt acoustic panels are used on the ceilings to help ensure a healthy indoor climate and good acoustic environment.

Passive house principles are incorporated into the entire building which functions as an independent self-sufficient energy machine. The architects from Bjerg Arkitektur have made passive house design their speciality and even have a certificate to prove it. In reality, it is all about common sense and conceiving the building as a whole.

The main rooms face south which attracts plenty of sunlight and energy. Its windows and concrete construction are designed to accumulate solar heat as well as the regular surplus heat generated inside. The earth surrounding part of the building also functions as a heat buffer and contributes to its thermal design.

Troldtekt has been used throughout and with their white surfaces the panels encourage more light into the rooms. Artificial lighting has been integrated into the Troldtekt panels and thereby the appearance of the ceiling surface is maintained and not interrupted. Because of the openness between the two floors in the atrium, a noisy environment is a natural risk but here this acoustic works equally very well.